Flexible insole.



J. J. HEYS. FLEXIBLE INSOLE. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 28, 1911.

] ;C)6O,O88.4 Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

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JOHN J. HEYS, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB T0 UNTED SHE MACHINERYCOMPANY, OIF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW' JERSEY.

FLEXIBLE INSOLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 28, 1911.

T0 all 'whom t may concern Be itknown that I, Jol-1N J. Hers, a citizenof the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and Stateof Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFlexible lnsoles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

The present invention Iirelates to improvements in flexible insoles.

It has been proposed to slash the surface of the insole along the ballinside of the turnedup lip portion, so as to render Vthe ball portion ofthe insole more flexible. When the insole is flexed in walking, it isbent so that the slashes open up to allow the insole to bend about theball of the foot. It is found in practice, however, that the filler,usually composed of ground cork and rubber cement, which is put betweenthe insole and outsole in the finished shoe, works into the slashes andeither wedges them open or else cements them together so that theflexibility of the insole is destroyed. y

The object of the present invention is to provide a slashed insole suchthat its flexibility will not be impaired by the filler after the insolehas been incorporated in the completed shoe.

With the above object in view, the present invention contemplates theuse of a fabric, such as canvas, which acts to reinforce the upturnedlip of the insole and which covers the slashed portion of the ballwithin the lip. The fabric acts in a combined capacity of reinforcingthe lip and of protecting the slashes from the filler in the finishedshoe. The fabric is preferably applied when the insole is flexed over ablock or form to about the same amount that the insole is flexed as thefoot of the wearer is bent at the ball in walking. The slashes are openwhen the insole is flexed and the fabric bridges over the open mouths ofthe slashes. After the fabric has been thus applied, and the insole issubsequently laid flat, the loose fabric over the mouths of the slashesis compressed or slightly gathered. The threads of a fabric, especiallycanvas, are so easily compressed that when the insole is laid perfectlyflat, the fabric will present hardly any noticeable puckering over theslashes.

When the sole of the shoe is flexed by the wearer, the slashes in theinsole open up and the protecting fabric is extended to its originallength, while, when the sole of the shoe is straight, the slashes closeagain and the fabric is slightly compressed over their mouths.

Referring to the drawings, in which a preferred embodiment of theinvention is illustrated, Figure l is a View looking at the face of theinsole which is lowermost in a finished shoe, and Fig. 2 is a crosssection taken longitudinally through the insole and showing the blockover which the insole is preferably flexed when the reinforcing fabricis applied.

In the drawings, l indicates a leather i11- sole which is provided withthe usual upturn'ed lip 2 or projecting portion through which is sewnthe stitching which unites the insole with the welt and upper of a shoe.The surface of the insole along the ball portion thereof within the lipis cut with slashes 3 which are transverse to the length of the insoleand preferably oblique to its surface, so that the insole is renderedmore flexible at this point. After the lip is turned up and the slashesare cut, a reinforcing layer of canvas l is cemented to the insole andis tucked about the upturned lip 2 to reinforce it. The canvas extendsacross t'he shoe between the upturned lips on either side so that itentirely covers and protects the slashes 3 from the liller which isplaced on the insole to fill in the space within the upturned lipsbefore the outsole is applied. The canvas l is cemented to the leatherinsole while the insole is laid over a form or block 5 which flexes theball portion approximately the same amount that the insole is flexed bythe foot of the wearer in walking. This flexing causes the tongues 6 toslide over the opposite sides of the slashes and open up the mouths ofthe slashes. The cement secures the canvas to the leather between theslashes and the canvas bridges over the mouths of the slashes asillustrated in Fig. 2. After the canvas has been cemented, the insolemay be removed from the block and laid flat. When the insole is laidflat, the tongues slide back over the opposite sides of the slashes, andthe canvas which bridged the opened mouths of the slashes is loose,being slightly compressed or gathered at these points.

The amount of gathering, however, is so small that it is hardlynoticeable, and causes no objectionable puckering when the insole islaid flat. After' the canvas has been applied, the insole is ready to beincorporated into the shoe, as will be readily understood by one skilledin the art. The canvas not only reinforces the lip to better sustain thestitching therein, but also protects the slashes of the insole from thefiller working into them or the cement in the filler from sticking themtogether, and by virtue of the manner in which it is applied allows afree working of the tongues 6 over the opposite sides of the slashes topermit the slashes to open when the insole is fiexed, so that the insoleretains its flexibility after the shoe 1s completed and has been worn.

The invention having thus been described, what is claimed is zl. As anarticle of manufacture, an insole for boots and shoes having an upturnedlip or projecting portion and having the ball portion wit-hin said lipcut with transverse slashes to cause the ball portion of the insole tobe exible, and having reinforcing fabric applied to the insole toreinforce the upturned lip and extending across the insole within saidlip to cover and protect lthe slashes from the filler which is appliedbetween the insole and the outsole of the finished shoe, said fabricbeing cemented to the insole between the slashes and being gathered orpucliered over the mouths of the slashes to permit the slashes to openwhen the sole is flexed, substantially as described.

2. As an article of manufacture, an insole for boots and shoes havinganupturned lip or projecting portion and having the. ball portion withinsaid lip cut with a number of transverse slashes inclined to the surfaceof the insole so that the tongues formed between the slashes and thesurface of the insole slide over the opposite sides of the slashes andvopen up the mouths of the slashes to cause the ball portion of theinsole to be fiexible, and having reinforcing fabric applied to theinsole to reinforce the upturned lip and extending across the insolewithin said lip to cover and protect the open mouths of the slashesyfrom the filler which is applied between the insole and outsole of theiinished shoe, said fabric being gathered or puckered over the mouths ofthe slashes to permit the tongues to slide and open the slashes when theshoe is flexed, substantially as described. l

JOHN J. HEYS. lVitnesses FRANK E. ALGER, p CHESTER E. RoGERs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C. i i

